When the morning cries
by Cindy Moon
Summary: The ghost of Aeris comes back to haunt a certain two someones. The outcome is not what you think. Death... reader beware?


Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and anything related belongs to Squaresoft but this fanfic belongs to me

When the Morning Cries- FF7 version

By: Cindy Moon

_No…why am I dying? The pain. What happened? I hear her voice, the morning cries. Holy. Is that you? No… don't take me away. It wasn't my fault. _

"Tifa, wake up. Tifa." Arms shook me in an effort to awaken me.

My eyes felt heavy and refused to open.  Nevertheless, the voice kept calling.

"Tifa, wake up. Tifa."

Eyes that fought the urge to open finally did, and there he was telling me it was all going to be okay.

"Cloud… is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me are you sure you're all right?"

            Tifa Lockheart, me, fiancée to Cloud Strife, the one who witnessed the death of a dear many, and victim to insanity. After we fought Sephiroth, most of us had gone our separate ways, but Cloud and I stayed together. We spent the happiest years of our lives together and experienced more love in those few years than what most experience in their entire lifetime. And so the insanity begins. It was all a bad idea to move here I guess. This is where it all began; this is where it ended, The City of Ancients. Dreams of death have haunted me ever since.

"I'm fine Cloud, it's just one of those days."

My head lowered as I told the lie I have told him for the past months.

Cloud just gave me that reassuring look and said, "Well, take your time to collect your self. I'll be heading out soon. Are you okay with that? I can stay if you want to."

That was dreadfully sweet of him to say that. No matter how bad things got he knew exactly how to make it better. Maybe that's why I love him so much.

"No, that's all right. You go. I'll be fine."

"Okay Tifa, if you say so." He parted some hair on my forehead and gave me a quick kiss.

"I'll be back soon."

            I then heard the sound of footsteps and the door closing. I was alone again.

"Mmm…" I murmured.

When had it become so cold I wondered. The room felt so like ice as soon as Cloud left.

Was feeling alone this bad?

            Slowly, I walked down the stairs and prepared to go out and meditate in the Sleeping Forest. It was so beautiful and peaceful out there, well at least it used to be.

The trees seemed mavolent, and the air filled with fear. What was so different about today? A rush of emotions came and clouded my mind as well as my memory. And then the trees began to sway and the leaves began to rustle. The only thing is there was no wind there to blow them. I didn't feel the wind; all I felt brushing across my face was a ghostly presence. Despite what I did or thought, the feeling never completely rubbed off when I got back to my house.

            Fatigue crept upon my body slowly. And by the time I got up to the stairs, my mind had been through the same tangles my black hair was in. Despair followed me as I walked up to my room. My hands turned the doorknob and opened the door. And there she was…waiting.

            I was terrified. I was so scared, and no scream came from my lips. A ghost, the presence that haunted my life and my dreams was there. Her face, perfect complexion of deathly white skin, looked vaguely familiar. She had on that same pink dress she wore the day she died. Except now it was tainted with blood. Her hair still in the same braids she had always worn. It was her, the one who had saved us all. But at the same time… it wasn't really her. Vengeance ran through her body and murder was in her thoughts. I looked away recollecting mere memories of what had happened, and when I looked back she was gone. Her green eyes were pleading, but what did she want?

            Breathlessly, I trampled into Cloud's room secretly hoping he would be there telling me it was all going to be all right like he had earlier. Alas, all I could see was my reflection in his mirror and Aeris behind me glaring with those same green eyes.

Darkness… Despair… Death… Is that all this is? 

_            She is there, on the floor. It's her… The pink_ _dress stained. Scarlet blood oozed from her heart and darkened in a puddle on the floor. Sephiroth was in the background laughing at what he thought was his victory. His sword dripping with her innocent blood. I heard it again. Morning's cry. Aeris' cry, her last prayer._

" Aeris!"

I woke up in a sweat on Cloud's bedroom floor calling the name of my dear friend out loud. Time had barely passed when I had awakened. I was still alone and her spirit still hovering over me. What did she want? Hadn't her death already been avenged?

"Cloud where are you?" I cried into the void not hoping for an answer.

"I'm here Tifa…"

Cloud was there at the door welcoming me with open arms. We shared a kiss, an embrace, and an eerie silence that said it all. I hugged him fighting back the urge to tell him what had happened. It is my turn to make it all right, this was my responsibility. 

            Night came quickly but sleep did not. My body tossed and turned until I gave in and got up. My throat thirsted for water so I went down to the kitchen to get some. Little did I know the consequences for doing so. I tripped and stumbled as I went down the stairs. It had been dark, darker than night itself. My hands felt the railing and I made it down the rest of the way without killing myself literally. Silently, I walked to the kitchen and in an instant the lights all turned on.

            My eyes were blinded; I put my hands in front of my face to try to shield my eyes from the light. It had been her; Aeris had turned on the lights. Immediately she grabbed my hair and threw me against a wall. Her time of revenge was to begin.

"You did it! You did it!"

I had no idea what to say in reply. I had no idea what she was saying in the first place.

"You probably wanted me to die and then you come back to where I died to mock my memory."

She gave me no time to respond. Her rage commanded all forces hereon in. Knives flew from a cabinet and pinned my to the wall. My blood dripped down my arms and I knew I had no way to escape. 

" You took my life away from me!"

"Aeris… it's not like that at all."

"Oh yes it is, I was standing in the way of everything. But then lucky you, I died."

"Aeris…"

She picked up another knife and attempted to slash me, but she stopped it in front of my face. Once again I saw my reflection but this time, with tears rushing down my face.

" You witnessed it all, you took away everything that meant anything away from me. And afterwards you witnessed the miracle after the murder."

            I couldn't understand, did Aeris think that I was the one? Did she blame me for her death? It didn't matter; I knew in my heart I would join her soon. Surrendering the will to live, I looked into those pleading green eyes and said my last.

" It wasn't my fault"

" It is, die Sephiroth."

Epilogue

            Morning came just like any other and Cloud Strife just like any other morning went to check on her. 

From outside the door he said, "Hey Tifa, it's me…"

When there was no reply he went inside the room thinking she was still sleeping.

No one was in the room.

            Cloud walked dejected down to the kitchen hoping she was there. She was.

Tifa's beautiful face streaked with tears, and the rest of her body stained in blood. The knives still pinning her to the wall.

"No…" Cloud whispered.

"No! Why do I have to lose everyone?"

Anger mingled with melancholy rushed through his body as he held her in his arms, tears running down his cheeks like a waterfall.

_            The morning cries once more. But who is it?_

                                                            The very very end

AN: Not the ending you most expected…

Okay well I was bored. I'm not too pleased with this one but I think there should be some utterly sad final fantasy fics out there.

Why did Aeris kill Tifa I wonder? (and why did she think Tifa was Sephiroth? That is don't actually know) Well her soul was not at rest because she wanted to kill Sephiroth. So she's a lost spirit. Ummm yeah. I think later I'm going to write an alternate ending where it's all happy again. Drop comments okay?


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